[Satellite Today Web Exclusive – 6-10-08] The launch of the VinaSat-1 satellite marked a key moment for Vietnam’s space aspirations. The satellite enables Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications (VNPT), to provide a greater range of services to people throughout Vietnam.
    Vietnam began providing satellite services to its population in the 1980s via the Intersputnik satellite system, and in 1987 moved to Intelsat. Vinasat-1, manufactured by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems and placed in orbit in April, is Vietnam’s first telecommunications satellite.
Lam Hoang Vinh, vice president of VNPT, spoke with Mark Holmes, associate editor of Satellite News, about how the satellite will benefit Vietnam and the company’s satellite plans.

Via Satellite: How important is ViinaSat-1 for Vietnam’s overall communications infrastructure?

Vinh: The VinaSat-1 project brings very important and significant meaning from an economic as well as social point of view. From a social point of view, two-thirds of Vietnam’s area is highlands and mountains. Only 70 percent of people in Vietnam can watch TV. Only 57 percent of the population can use a telephone. What the VinaSat-1 satellite enables us to do is to provide telecommunications as well as media services throughout the country to try and bring the people in remote areas to have the same services as the people have in urban areas. This is important from a social point of view. We can now enable people throughout the country to have the same benefits of modern telecommunications and media services.
From an economic point of view, an improved telecoms infrastructure will lead to an improved economy. With VinaSat, we complete our telecoms infrastructure. We can provide services even when normal transmissions cannot be reached, like cable for example. When you develop the telecoms infrastructure, the investment in those areas will come after. This will [aid] the economic development conditions in the remote areas and this is very important for Vietnam.

Via Satellite: How will satellite technology work with terrestrial and other wireless technologies in Vietnam?

Vinh: We view the satellite to provide services to rural areas and provide media services. This strategy is different from previously, where we had more of an international focus. We are now looking at the domestic market. Besides that, the satellite strategy for remote areas [is to] provide services like GPS, a service that is very normal in the [United Kingdom]. We are also looking to improve the way we monitor the weather and also we provide satellites as a transmission link for the communications in airlines. We are now providing domestic communications, media services now with satellite communications. This is different to before.
Our satellite can do services like broadcasting, telephony and even services like printing newspapers from different places. Also, in the cellular arena, satellites help with the trunking. They help complete our transmission network where we cannot link by cable or other means of transmission. Satellites can provide transmission links to complete our telecoms infrastructure and provide the trunking for the base stations in terms of mobile services. The base stations needs to connect to other stations. This helps provide mobile services in rural areas. In mountains and remote areas, we cannot deal with microwave or cable. We have to connect base stations with satellite. Satellite technology can help the cable and wireless transmission networks.

Via Satellite: How important is satellite technology in terms of bring advanced communications services to rural areas in the country?

Vinh: We can say that satellite technology is necessary to complete the communications infrastructure in many countries as well as Vietnam. Two-thirds of our population live in the rural areas. With the VinaSat-1 satellite, we have enhanced the network capacity, quality of telecoms and IP services, broadcasting, and television services. We now have a stable transmission capacity. Only 57 percent of our population had access to telephone services. With VinaSat-1 that figure is significantly increased.
We can also offer TV services to more people. We can now bring more DTH (direct-to-home) services to people. In Vietnam, we have 19 million Internet users but our population is 84 million. It is OK if you are based in urban areas, but what can you do if you are in remote areas? For this, you need satellite. Only satellite can bring Internet to the remote areas. We think we can remove this black area of communications where people in remote areas have very little access to services. We can eliminate the digital divide between urban and rural areas of Vietnam.

Via Satellite: How soon would you look to have a VinaSat-2 satellite?

Vinh: VinaSat-1 is a medium-sized satellite. We have the capacity of 20 transponders — 12 Ku-band transponders and 8 C-band transponders. The total capacity is only about 120 TV channels. Nowadays, it is the time for Vietnam to provide Internet services to more people and try to increase the numbers of people that can watch TV and have access to media. We think we can provide for the domestic as well as the regional market. We think other countries in the region also would like to use the capacity on our satellite to provide services for them. Our satellite has the coverage not only for Vietnam but for other countries in the region. I think the demand for capacity on satellite is very high, and it will soon fill up. The demand for satellite capacity is high due to Internet development as well as access to media services. We are sure that after 2010, we will need more capacity on the satellite. VinaSat-1 has limited capacity. We will sure the demand will mean we will need another satellite.

Via Satellite: So you are already planning the VinaSat-2 satellite then?

Vinh: We are preparing to plan for the VinaSat-2 satellite. After 2010, we will need another satellite with more capacity.

Via Satellite: Can satellite broadband have an impact in Vietnam? Are there any plans to offer broadband services via satellite?

Vinh: We have replaced our old network with a next-generation network based on an IP platform in order to provide multiple services, including broadband on our fixed network. In mobile, we are moving to 3G. Of course, from 2004 onwards we have already been providing VSAT IP services. We use the IPStar satellite to help provide broadband satellite services. This enables us to connect villages in Vietnam and enable them to have access to these services. Nowadays, villages not only require normal voice services, they want Internet and other broadband services, so satellite broadband is very important for Vietnam and for the remote areas. The demand for satellite broadband services will be very high in Vietnam. We also need other satellites to provide broadband.

Via Satellite: How will VinaSat-1 help drive digital TV and DTH development in Vietnam?

Vinh: From 1991 we provided TV services via satellite. However, this was analog satellite. Now we can provide TV and other media services through our digital satellite. From 2004, Vietnam Television can provide a more comprehensive service, including DTH. With our satellite, we can contribute more to the TV market and bring more services to people. We can increase the TV penetration figure from 70 percent to more than 90 percent or even to 100 percent.

Via Satellite: What role do you see the company playing on the media landscape in Vietnam?

Vinh: A good [information and communications technology] and telecoms infrastructure means we are creating favorable conditions for the media environment. We can help provide TV, electronics newspapers, Internet services, etc. We provide transmission and infrastructure for media services. We are the main infrastructure provider. We are the biggest provider in Vietnam, but we would also like to join with the regional network providers so we can connect to countries like Hong Kong, China, Cambodia, Thailand, etc. We don’t want to only protect our position in Vietnam but to also try to join with other network and service providers in the region to have media services linked throughout the region.